Maneuvering Your Meal Plan While In College

Can you believe it, your child is ready for college! You are concerned about their food allergies, special diets or food preferences. What should you do? Can they still go away to college?

The answer is YES!

Most colleges and universities have a disabled student center, as well as most have an on-staff dietician. It is imperative that you contact both departments at least a year in advance, so you do not have any surprises. You want to be sure that the colleges or universities that your child is applying to can accommodate their special diets. Even with community colleges, call ahead and confirm that they can assist your child, if they are there during a meal time, or even if they might want a beverage or a snack.

Students with anaphylactic concerns can be often be offered an off-campus, single occupancy apartment, to be sure there is zero cross-contamination.

For students with allergies or special diets, who can still eat at the regular student food facilities, many schools designate details on their menu’s website, of foods that are considered safe to consume, based on dietary issues.

An example:

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College chefs and workers are very used to food allergies or special diets. More and more students are developing allergies and intolerances to so many foods. Students must be very specific when ordering or picking out their food. Warning labels of the top 8 allergens, by law, since 2006, must be marking in the ingredient list or on the label somewhere. Many labels say: Contains: and then lists the allergens. The top 8 allergens are: Milk/Dairy, Wheat, Eggs, shellfish, fish, soy, peanuts and tree nuts. Some people carry cards with them listing their allergies. It is imperative to get the person taking your order to repeat it back to you. Mistakes are made, always check food, for obvious mistakes first. If you are unsure of ingredients, ask for an ingredient list. Often at a university, the chef will come out from the back and talk to the student, to be sure of no cross contamination or mistakes.

After you contact the school’s departments, ask for menus and locations that best fit your child’s dietary needs. Some menus are posted online. Also, look into any on-campus or nearby grocery stores, where your child can purchase ready-made foods or foods that they can cook, as well as fruits and vegetables. Check if there are cooking appliances in the dorm or a suite or if they have an on campus apartment, as another alternative to meal preparation. Investigate all of the choices at all of the schools that your child plans to apply to for admission. CALL AHEAD!

Barrie Silberberg works many part time jobs around her two children's schedules. She teaches American Sign Language, works as an Instructional Aide for children with special needs at an elementary school, does employment and life skills assistance for individuals with disabilities, does freelance writing, and authored the book, The Autism & ADHD Diet.
Barrie holds a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Liberal Studies (Education) and a Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential, plus has completed post-graduate work with an emphasis in special education from California State University, Northridge. She is active in her local chapter of the Autism Society and national autism related causes. She speaks to general mom’s groups, autism support groups and gives seminars regarding the GFCF diet. She provides tours of local health food stores and spends a lot of time on the GFCF Kids Yahoo and Delphi Forum Celiac Disease message boards, offering advice, help, and suggestions. She emails her four-page information packet on the GFCF (Gluten Free/Casein Free) diet to hundreds of families around the world. This diet is her passion, as it has helped her son soar and lose the majority of his autistic traits.
Barrie has been published in several national magazines, The Autism Perspective, and Living Without, writing about her son's success with living Gluten Free, Casein Free, dye free and preservative free. She is on several advisory boards and on the ANDI parent support site, offering help with the diet. She also has had several articles published in several newspapers.
Barrie's book: The Autism & ADHD Diet: A Step-by-Step Guide to Hope and Healing by Living Gluten Free and Casein Free (GFCF) and Other Interventions. Published by Sourcebooks, Inc.
Barrie's family is a volunteer foster family for rescued kittens. Prior to having children she was a vocational rehabilitation counselor, elementary school teacher and director with the Girl Scouts. She has always been involved with charity work related to disabilities, cancer, children and animals, helping to obtain donations and market for their causes.